Coin-controlled device for phonographs



No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

J. F. OTT.

COIN CONTROLLED DEVICE FOR PHONOGRAPHS. N0.-478,709. Patented July 12, 189 2.

-, PHOTO'LIYNO nouns IETERS co 2 Sheets Sheet, 2.

(No Model.)

J. F. OTT. COIN CONTROLLED DEVICE FOR PHONOGRAPHS.

Patented July 12, 1892.

' v avwmboz 33%; y 7 I UNITED STATES PATENT OEEIcE.

JOHN F. OTT, OF ORANGE,-ASSIGNOR TO THOMAS A. EDISON, OF LLEWVELLYN PARK, NEW JERSEY.

COIN-CONTROLLED DEVICE FOR PHONOGRAPHS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 478,709, dated July 12, 1892. Application filed April 24, 1891. Serial No- 390.287. (No model.)

T at whom it may concern.-

Be it known that 1, JOHN F. OTT, a citizen of the United States, residing at Orange, in the county of Essex and State of New Jersey,

have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Coin Controlled Devices for Phonographs and other Apparatus, of which the following is a specification.

The present invention relates to means for controlling the use of phonographs and-other apparatus; and it consists in the means hereinafter described for preventing the apparatus being operated by the use of pasteboard or other light and worthless checks, instead I 5 of the proper coin.

The invention constitutes an improvement on the apparatus described and claimed in the application of T. A. Edison andmyself, Serial No. 376,043, filed December 29, 1890. In that application was described a tube forming a coin-passage and having in one side a hinged and weighted door normally closing one side of the tube, and the arrangement was such that when a coin of proper weight was deposited and a handle having an arm extending into the passage above the coin was pressed down the coin operated the circuitcontrolling apparatus and passed into a coinreceptacle; but when a lighter check or device was deposited and the handle pressed down the door was opened and the check thrown out without operating the circuit-controller. The general arrangement shown and described in this case is similar to that above indicated;

but different means are provided for preventing the opening of the door when a coin of proper weight had been deposited.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a view of the coin-receiving apparatus, one of the side plates and the hinged door being removed. Fig. 2 is a view at right angles to Fig. 1, the side plate and door being in position; and Fig. 3,a detail view of certain parts to be described.

1 is a tube forming a coin-passage and communicates with a coin-receiving slit at 2. In

one side of the coin-passage is a slot 3, into which projects an arm' i, carried by the body 5, mounted on a rod 6, which is supported in 5 bearings and can be moved up and down by means of a handle '7, as described in the above-mentioned application.

8 is a block having a beveled end 9, which also extends into the coin-passage above the bottom of the weighted door 10, hinged at 11. 5 5 The side plate 12 has an opening, which is closed by the door 10. At the lower edge of the opening the plate is beveled ofi, as indicated at 13, to allow the easy passage of light checks, as hereinafter described. The door 10 carries a rigid arm 14, terminating at 15 a little at one side of the edge of the plate 12.

16 is a lockinglever for the door, pivoted at 17 and having a beveled end 18 extending into one edge of the coin-passage. This lever has a retracting spring 19, so adjusted that the lever will be moved on its pivot by the weight of a coin, but will not be moved by a smaller weight. Block 8 is carried by aspring arm 21, which tends to move toward the hinged door. The body 5, before referred to, carries a bent arm or a cam 20, which stands in front of a pin 21' on spring 21 and holds the block 8 from moving toward the door; but when thehandle is pressed down the bent arm moves away from said pin and allows the block 8 to move toward the door, and if the door is not locked to throw out the deposited check.

22 is a lever pivoted at 22, moved by the act of forcing a coin down through the pas sage to control any suitable circuit, as described in the application above referred to, but which need not be further described herein, since it does not form a part of the present invention.

23 is a lever pivoted at 23, the beveled end of which extends into the coin-passage. The shoulder 24 normally stands near enough to the side plate 12 to prevent'a coin of proper 9o thickness passing, as shown at 25, Fig. 3, but far enough to allow a thinner coin to slip through. If, therefore, a penny should be deposited in a machine adjusted for nickels, the penny would fall into the coin-receptacle and be lost to the depositonbut would not enable him to operate the mechanism.

The devices already described provide against operation of the device by coins or checks which are lighter or which are thin- 10o ner than the coin designed to beu'sed. It might happen that a check was used of proper weight and thickness, but of less diameter than the proper coin. To provide against this, I place a pin 26 on the arm 4 in line with a pin 27 on the lever 23. The distance between the two pins is a little greater than the diameter of the coin used.

The operation is as follows: When a proper coin is deposited, it descends in the coin-passage and by its weight moves lever 16 on its pivot, throwing the upper end toward the left (see Fig. 1) and bringing said upper end directly under the end 15 of arm 14. The coin comes to rest just in front of the block 8. WVhen the handle 7 is then pressed down, the lug 4 bears on the coin and forces it down. The spring 21 and block 8 tend to make the coin move toward the door 10; but said door cannot open because the arm 14 strikes arm 16 and the door is locked. The spring 21 therefore yields slightly and the coin passes down through the coin-passage, moving lever 23 back slightly, owing to the coin being forced by the shoulder 24, thereby throwing pins 26 and 27 out of alignment. The lever 22 is also moved by the coin to close a circuit or perform any other work. If, instead of a coin, a pasteboard disk of the size of a coin had been deposited,it would not have moved lever 16. Hence when the handle 7 was moved down, pressing downward on the check, the spring 21 and block 8 would move the check toward the door, as already described, and said door would open and the check would be thrown out, since arm 14, carried by the door, is free to move by the end of lever 16. If the check deposited was of proper weight and thickness, but of too small diameter, the pin 26 would strike the pin 27 and hold the handle from further movement before the arm 4 would reach the check and press it down to move the lever 23 back, as above described.

WVhat I claim is 1. The combination of a tube forming a coin-passage and communicating with a coinreceiving slot, a movable door in one side of the tube and normally closing said side and being free to open, and an armfor locking the door, extendinginto the tube and adjusted to be moved bya predetermined weight, sub- Stantially as described.

2. The combination of a tube forming a coin-passage, a movable door in one side of the tube and normally closing said side, and a pivoted arm with an end extending into the tube above the bottom of the door for locking the door and adjusted to be moved by a predetermined weight, substantially as described.

3. The combination of a tube forming a coin-passage, a movable door in one side of the tube and normally closing said side, an

arm carried by the door, and an arm for locking the door, extending into the tube and adjusted to be moved by a predetermined weight, the latter arm when moved coming into the path of movement of the first arm, substantially as described.

4. The combination of a tube forming a coin-passage and communicating with a coinreceiving slot, a movable door in one side of the tube and normally closing said side, an arm for lockin g the door, adjusted to be moved by a predetermined weight, and means for opening the door and throwing out light checks, substantially as described.

5. The combination of a tube forming a coin-passage and communicating with a coinreceiving slot, a movable door in one side of the tube and normally closing said side, an arm forlocking the door, adjusted to be moved by a predetermined weight, a handle having an arm extending into the coin-passage, a spring tending to move toward the door, and a detent device carried by the handle normally restraining said spring, but allowing it to move toward the door when the handle is moved for throwing out light checks, substantially as described.

6. The combination of a tube forming a coin-passage, an arm having a beveled end extending into said passage and adapted to be moved back by a coin,causing it to act as a wedge to move said arm, a handle for pressing on the coin, a pin or stop moved by the handle, and a co-operating pin or stop on said arm and in position to arrest the handle be- .fore a smaller coin than that required will be pushed forward, substantially as described.

7. The combination of a coin tube or passage having a slot in a side thereof, a stop for the coin or check when deposited, a handle having a lug or arm passing through the slot into the coin-passage for pressing on the coin to force it by the stop, and a detent which arrests the handle if the check deposited is of too small diameter, said detent having one part on the movable handle and another part on a movable arm in position to be operated by or through the coin, said two parts of, the detent being normally in line, whereby they will tend to engage with each other when the handle is moved, substantially as described. 8. The combination of a coin tube or passage and a pivoted stop for a deposited coin or check,one edge of said stop extending into the coin-tube, but terminating at a sufficient distance from the side of the passage to allow thin coins or checks to pass directly through to the coin-receptacle, but to arrest coins of proper thickness, substantially as described. This specification signed and witnessed this 16th day of April, 1891.

JOHN F. OTT..

Witnesses:

W. PELZER, JOHN F. RANDOLPH. 

